Make me the calculator Keanu Reeves!

[DPyro]

Currently I'm taking about 13.5 minutes to do all the number punches, very high accuracy. However, I'm not getting enough time to do the geometric ones even though I've memorized the formulas, and get through only the easiest stated because they are shortly worded? Currently I'm getting about a 220ish on the 2005 tests. How do I get faster?

How can I become the One?

(And what does the exp() Function mean? I tried e^x, but it didn't work ><)

[bradp]

exp(u) = e^u

As for getting faster... ideally number cruncher time should be sub-10

doing stated/geo problems faster is just practice... don't write too much - keep most of it in the calculator. figure out fast solutions after test if you didn't figure em out during the test

[Kurt]

Considering you are competition for me at region, I shouldn't be trying to help. :P

Brad's got great advice though...the faster at punches you get, the more time you (obviously) have for the rest. And the less you write down, the quicker you can go. Usually, the only problem I write down stuff for is the related rates calculus problem on page 6...and occasionally a long geometry problem.

There's also quite a few shortcuts for some problems that can make them quite a bit faster. Even if you know a formula to do it, that doesn't guarantee it's the fastest way.

It's also helpful to have worked through the study list problems at least once. 5 of them are guaranteed to be on the last page of each test (with just the numbers in the problem changed), and so if you have worked through each of them and know how to do them quickly (or have derived formulas), you can do that last page easily in a couple of minutes.

...Exception being the Superman problem. Has anyone figured out a quick way to do that one? I know how to do it, but it seems soooooo tedious and long that I would currently skip it if I saw it on the test and go back at the end if I finish all of the other problems (which doesn't happen often, lol).

[bradp]

superman problem... yeah my solution is kinda long - you probably did the same thing:

two functions L(t) for lois' position and S(t) for superman's position

divide terminal velocity,V1 (convert to ft/s of course), of Superman by his acceleration to get T1

L(t) = S(t) ---> -(.5) * 32.17 t^2 + (height) = V1T1/2 + V1(t - T1 - 1)

(i assume that superman reaches terminal velocity before meeting Lois... ? i dunno)

solve for t with calculator and put back into L(t) to get answer

[DPyro]

Excuse my poor grammar above and here, I lack sleep. =)

The best solution, obviously, is to take your advice while playing "flight of the bumblebees." At the very least I can try =)

[bradp]

good call on the Superman question, Kurt :D

Unfortunately, even with all my hard work on the study list, i ended up missing both of the geo problems :|||||||

[Kurt]